Low power and Lossy Networks (LLNs), e.g., sensor networks, have a myriad of applications, such as Smart Grid and Smart Cities. Various challenges are presented with LLNs, such as lossy links, low bandwidth, battery operation, low memory and/or processing capability, etc. One example routing solution to LLN challenges is a protocol called Routing Protocol for LLNs or “RPL,” which is a distance vector routing protocol that builds a Destination Oriented Directed Acyclic Graph (DODAG, or simply DAG) in addition to a set of features to bound the control traffic, support local (and slow) repair, etc. The RPL architecture provides a flexible method by which each node performs DODAG discovery, construction, and maintenance.
Notably, the amount of routing information kept in a network, particularly in LLNs, can become significant. In particular, the size of the routing table and/or the size or number of route advertisements becomes a major concern as the network grows larger. These problems, though found in any network, are especially problematic in constrained networks, where bandwidth is limited and most nodes are highly constrained in terms of memory. Accordingly, routing information can directly impact the scalability of many networks.